The present invention relates to test equipment and more particularly to a water run-on timer for use in association with appliances, such as refrigerators with water dispensers.
Several types of refrigerators in the marketplace have water and ice dispensers in their front doors. Commonly, these water dispensers are activated by placing a glass against a lever which activates a remote valve. Once the valve is opened, water is transported to a glass placed underneath a spigot in the door of the refrigerator. In order to stop the flow of water, the glass is pulled away from the lever which controls a solenoid on the valve to shut off the supply of water so that water does not continue to pour forth from the spigot. Since a water dispenser that operates improperly could cause spillage and inconvenience to a user, a manufacturing test device is needed to verify that the valve and shut-off system operate properly. The main criterion for proper operation is that the water flowing from the spigot stops shortly after the lever activates the valve to shut off water flowing to the spigot. Thus, a testing device is needed to verify proper operation of a water dispenser in a refrigerator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,667 relates to an electro-optic sensor to sense the flow of liquid. This patent discloses a liquid dispenser in which drops are scanned by an electro-optic sensor. However, the patent does not disclose using an infra-red spectrum sensor to accomplish this task.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,977 relates to a magnetic proximity sensor which indicates if a valve is energized or not to detect flow. However, the patent does not disclose the bipolar magnetic flux sensor alone or in combination with an optical sensor.